MATR + RESEARCH

The vaginal microbiome: disease, genetics, and the environment.

(This study is part of the Human Microbiome Project (HMP))
Our bodies carry around trillions of microbes--bacteria, viruses, and other living things so tiny that we need a powerful microscope to see them. These microbes live in groups in many places on and inside our bodies, such as the skin, the mouth, nose, gut and (in women) the vagina. While we still don’t know how they do it, many of these microbes help to keep us healthy, while others contribute to disease. Similarly, changes in our health can affect our microbes. So can things like where we live or work, our age, ancestry, health status, and diet—and probably many other things that we don’t know about yet.

People and microbes both have DNA, the material that contains genetic instructions. The microbes’ DNA affects how they live with each other and how they act in our bodies. Our own DNA affects how we react to our microbes. All of the different kinds of microbes that live on and inside us, taken together, are called the “human microbiome.” The purpose of the HMP study is to learn about the human microbiome by studying the microbes’ DNA, other chemicals that the microbes produce, human DNA, and how microbes interact with each other and with their human host to contribute to health and disease.

In this particular study we will focus just on the microbes that live in specific parts of the body: the mouth, vagina, and perianal region. We will collect samples from these areas; some from people who have certain diseases as well as from people who do not. By comparing the microbes that we find in these two sets of samples, and by making the information that we learn available to other research scientists, we will gradually begin to understand more about the complicated relationships between the microbes that live in these areas of the body and certain diseases.

The MATR is currently inviting identical and fraternal female twin pairs ages 18 and over who are willing to travel to the Stony Point Women’s Health Center in Richmond, Virginia to participate in this study.  Future studies that build on this research will help us to understand even more about how the human microbiome affects human health more generally. The MATR, along with the study sponsor the National Institutes of Health which is sponsoring this project, hope that all of this research will eventually transform the very way we think about health and the way we prevent, diagnose, and treat many diseases.

 

Genes Environment and Development Initiative (GEDI)

The first phase for Drs. Eaves’ and Silberg’s “Genes, Environment and the Development of Substance Use” study is almost complete.  This study is part of a multi-site project called the Genes, Environment and Development Initiative (GEDI) of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).   Participants from several study sites, including the MATR, have provided samples from which genetic material will be analyzed.

Investigators will conduct “genotyping” (determining the genetic make up) of the samples they’ve received for their analysis.  Through their analysis the researchers are hoping to determine which genes and/or combination of genes most likely play a role in whether or not an individual may develop substance use issues.   There is also evidence to suggest that at different developmental periods (childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood) there are differing likelihoods that an individual might develop substance use issues.  Keeping this in mind, ultimately the researchers hope to answer which genes, which environments, and which developmental transitions together predict the start and progression for which type of drug abuse an individual might be susceptible to.  While this research will take several years to complete, in the end we hope to gain a better understanding regarding the development of substance use which in turn will allow scientist to investigate interventions and prevention programs that are most likely to be successful.

The GEDI study is related to the Adolescent Behavior and Development (ABD) study conducted approximately 10-15 years ago.  The current study aims to recontact twins who participated in the study to ask them to provide a blood sample.  Researchers will then study their blood sample with the answers they provided in the previous study to compare twins who reported substance use as well as those who did not when they answered the ABD interview.  This study is open to any twin who completed the ABD study.

 

 

National Institute of Child Health and Development (NICHD)

This study is investigating factors that affect human development and aging.  A person’s environment and life style choices influence their aging process as well as their risk for developing certain age-related diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes. As we age, we see evidence of the aging process, such as gray hair or wrinkles, but there are also changes in our cells that we don’t see.   How our cells are programmed to change and age also plays a role in whether or not certain people develop age-related disorders.  The programs in our cells that impact how each of us age and develop are often referred to as “biological clocks.”  How these biological clocks work is related to our DNA or genes.  Certain chemicals in our cells help regulate these “aging genes.” These chemicals can help turn on or off certain genes and thus influence whether a particular gene is active or inactive at a given point in our development. This gene regulation in turn plays a role in influencing our biological clocks and ultimately how we age. 

For this research, analysis will be done on the DNA as well as other genetic material and proteins in the samples. From this analysis, the researchers hope to learn more about how an individual’s genetic makeup and lifestyle choices influence their aging process and in turn how aging influences gene expression.   To do this the researchers will look at the genes themselves as well as the structures and chemicals that help regulate how active a gene is at a given time.  This research falls into the category of “epigenetics.”  In the world of genetics studies, this is a relatively new and exciting research approach, and, at least for this study, results could very well shed light on what leads to the progression of certain age-related diseases. 

Currently the study is focusing on identical twin pairs (monozygotic) ages 18 and over, but will likely seek fraternal twins (dizygotic) as the study progresses.  While twins for this study can be any sex or race, there are some criteria that would exclude twins from participating.  For example, if the individual has an active autoimmune disorder or is taking certain medications they cannot participate because those factors might overly influence the results of the analysis.  Because of this, if we contact you about the study we will need to ask you some health-related questions to determine your eligibility.

 

Factors in Human Aging (FHA)

The Factors in Human Aging study, conducted by Dr. Colleen Jackson-Cook of the Department of Pathology at Virginia Commonwealth University, studies how aging is effected by genes and environmental influences.  As we age, a small number of our cells go through chromosomal changes. Chromosomes are the structures that contain our genetic information, known as DNA. The causes of these changes are not currently known but by studying DNA researchers are hoping to answer many questions about aging such as: Why do some people age faster than others?  And can we identify factors that might slow down the aging process?  Studying traits in twins is one of the best ways to gain insight into these questions, so the researchers are collecting DNA from nearly 500 twins to learn more about the aging process. 

For this study twins fill out a health questionnaire and provide a blood sample by visiting their doctor’s office.  Dr. Jackson-Cook then analyzes the survey responses and genetic samples looking for key factors that change as people age over time.